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If you can get hold of this cheaply, I would buy it.

This is a very good, although now very old PDA. It runs on the Palm OS platform which is a very simple to use operating system and contains the basics to get your life organised! You will not struggle to learn how to use it as it is incredibly easy to use.

It synchronizes with the Palm Desktop software which is similar to outlook for windows and allows you to put calendar, to do list and memo data in along with other bits of information you may need on the go.

This PDA offers a sticky note feature where you can jot down notes in a drawn form and they will be saved and appear on your screen when you arrive home. The PDA has a backlight, which is extremely useful for night time viewing. As the screen is a monochrome screen, it is incredibly easy to view in full daylight and does not require a bright backlight like modern colour PDAs.

I would recommend this PDA as it is an excellent cheap and simple introduction into the world of personal organisation!

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If you are anything like me, you will have found that as you have got older - I know I am still only in my 30s - but I have got three children!!, you will have found that your memory will have gone. I find that I now have to keep a note of everything to ensure that I do not forget anything.

Usually in my small handbag I carry the following.

An address book which is now tatty and many of the friends have subsequently married or just moved since I started to fill it in as a teenager and each year you have to make a change in it.

A Diary - so busy with events in the childrens lives that pages are often full, pieces of paper attached and items crossed out.

A mobile phone - when I remember to charge it

A purse.

A note book - post this, buy that, shopping list, pay money in here, take money out of there. Pin number for this, pin number for that.

I walk along the street leaning to one side with the weight of it all. Fortunately I have a husband who decided to rectify the problem with the purchase this Christmas of a Digital Handheld computer which I can carry instead of all the diaries, notebooks, address books of old.

The PALM M105 is a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).

When you open the box you get: A PDA,Stylus2 AAA batteries Cdrom, an easy to follow Instruction booklet Cradle with a serial connector for your PC which again is easy to follow.

The PALM m105 has a display window where you read the data and input new data using the stylus.

There are various tools which you can use on your handheld computer.

GRAFFITI TOOLYou can enter information directly into the PDA by writing on the Display Screen with a stylus although for this you do need to learn a slightly different alphabet but this is easy enough to learn.

ADDRESS BOOKIf you have Microsoft Outlook you can download from this directly onto your PDA to save having to input all the data again and the instruction manula explains how to do this. However if you don't use Outlook you can input data direct into the PDA with your stylus or open the PALM software that comes with the PDA and enter information directly and transfer.

HOTSYNCThis utility backs up all the data on your PDA and downloads to the PC, which is great should you forget to put in new batteries and need to restore your data. You only get a minute to change teh batteries before memory is lost.

DATE BOOKFancy name for a diary. Will beep if you have an appointment.

NOTE PADQuick way to scribble down brief notes directly onto screen using the stylus. You canthen add the details later when you have more time.

MAILConnect you PDA to web, Hotsync your PDA and your email will be sitting on your PDA ready for replying to and tehn you can send when you reach your connector at the office.

OTHER STUFFThere is a Memo Pad, some games and system security software.

Still a novelty at the moment but if it is going to decrease the amount of paperwork I have lying around it has to be worth it. Still filling in address details as never actually got round to using Outlook but going away soon, so will have it with me.

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So, in 16?? (fill in the blanks if you know) Samuel Pepys wrote a huge diary that stands still as a historical document of the time. In the same century, Daniel Defoe toured around the whole of England and Wales and his account of his journey in similar style stands as a historical record of the country. (Daniel Defoe makes for a great read - buy it and spot you home town.) In four hundred years what will they find to reconstruct the history of our time? Not much really ... paper and pen are giving way to digital systems of recording that whilst offering greater capacity in a smaller space also offer a temporary storage medium that is wiped clear and reused. And if a diary survived what would it read - well, a list of dry and pointless appointments that record only the tedium of twenty first century living no doubt. And so I come to what I believe to be the cheapest Palm computer - correct me if I'm wrong. I paid £119.99 but these are even cheaper now. Let's get straight to the point. This was designed to be cheap and succeeded. As a consequence it was taken in huge numbers and yet ... I'm not quite sure why in hindsight. When I first dabbled with hand held computers they came with keyboards and the quality of the keyboard was the selling point. Everybody remember Psion - still around if you look hard. Now, Palm was a new system. A touchscreen and a tiny pen meant opening and closing programs was easy and a tiny box at the bottom of the screen promised handwriting recognition. This was before its time and the fact that you need to learn a whole new language (graffiti) is testament to the problems of handwriting recognition then. Now of course Palm have taught this system to so many that even though true handwriting recognition is here they still rely on this strange language. So what can it do? No, you can't write a novel. You'd be pushed to write an opinion for Ciao. Basically with a little patience from the p erson giving the details you can record contacts. You can plan meetings. Mmmm ... yep ... that's it. When I ran a Psion 5MX I wrote articles that were published. With this toy (and I chose that word carefully) you write diary appointments. Despite the usual suite of Palm software this is not a gadget that inspires. The processor is slower than all other Palm devices and it comes with a measly 8Mb RAM. This means that it isn't even really worth buying the keyboard that would allow the device to be used for a greater range of uses. It does come with a docking station and software for Windows and Mac connectivity. The software works well and the diary synchronises effortlessly with Outlook. This is like getting a 1980s phone as sold by DelBoy out in front of friends and colleagues mind. When they all sit in front of neat looking devices wrapped in brushed aluminium and exchanging colour photos to go with the contacts list you will be stuck with a cheap clack plastic casing and a screen that even the least fashion conscious would hide. OVERALL If you want to spend about eighty notes on a diary then this is for you. If you want the functionality of a decent handheld computer then I would leave alone. Mine - gathering dust while I hanker after the days of chunkey handhelds with decent keyboards. Thanks for taking the time to read this opinion and I look forward to any comments you might leave - Phil

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"standard cpu"

The palm m105 is a great pda, it is perfect for the newcomer to pda's, due to the fact that it has many functions all displayed in an easy to access menu and that it is sold at a low price. The m105 has a good selaction of programs as well as the ability for many more programs to be added using the 8mb of inbuilt ram.It also has the ability to access the internet which i found to be great although it is very slow to download the pages. I would advise anybody who buy's this pda not to use the mobile internet over your phone as the chances of finding a compatible phone are low and that the speed is shockingly slow because the mobile networks have not yet been updated to carry internet at a decent speed (3g). The display has a lot of improvement yet to be made. The colour are not there and it has only a greyscale image which is terrible. If you into image editing of any form then stay WELL CLEAR. The image that it produces is just as bad as the greyscale image, it is visible but has no backlight which is essential because you will allways have a time when you need it and you dont have it, such as in an office during a power cut. The storage capacity of the m105 is good. But for the price you arer paying you are getting a good deal. The ammount of memory supplied is more than enough to store your phone numbers and some extra programs and games unless you are bill gates in which cese look elsewhere. so overall I would recomend this pda to anyone who is looking for an all round pda for general use but if you are looking to have your computer in the palm of your hand then look up to the new 400mhz for about £500. its true! you heard it here first

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I'm not going to give a piece-by-piece review here (go see the manual on the Palm website if you want to know all about this product). But here is my opinion of the product. Small, light and the built in cover is very useful. Battery consumption is very good. However, don't be put off if they go down quickly the first month, as you'll not want to put your Palm down. When I say small, this maybe too small for some people, even with my small hands the m105 can feel tiny. So try it's bigger sister models before you buy. The main advantage of the m105 is its price. They are cheap! Build quality is very good, however, the battery cover on my model is quite hard to remove. The applications on the m105 do what you would expect from a PDA (personal digital assistant). I'm not going to review them I don't see the point. Instead I'll tell you how, why and what I use my m105 for. The m105 is now the oldest palm model available, I could have chosen a brand new model. However, I was very reluctant to do so as I do not foresee the need for expansion, a colour screen, USB connectivity and the added cost of a 'new' model. The new models do have great functionality, but all I really wanted was a calendar, a note pad, a calculator and a to-do list. I also wanted my Palm to sync with my work PC and my home PC and to be able to write emails. That's it. That's all I wanted and the m105 does this very well. As an added bonus I can get my POP3 email direct to my Palm via my mobile and the AvantGo bundled software is great for viewing web pages on the move (you can cache them in a sync operation). I'm very happy with the m105, even though I was tempted by the new models. I know I made the right choice as in two years time the technology will have moved on a great deal so I will not be too out of pocket if I decide to / or I am forced to upgrade.

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None

Do you need a hand, I mean a Palm? I own the Palm 105 and it was the best Christmas present I ever bought for my then boyfriend, unfortunately for him, he did the dirty on me just before I could hand it over?I haven?t looked back since. Why paper alone will not do? Once you have experienced the endless hours of possibility using your Palm Pilot, you will not go back to paper, trust me I have tried. Of course, this wonderful gadget is like most, it will be only as good as the user. My suggestion is this: if you regularly use MS Outlook, or have it on your system, and never saw the point in using it?then this Palm is for you. You will lose bits of paper, but trust me, you will not lose this baby! Before I move onto it?s features, let answer one of the questions you are probably asking: Isn?t it fiddly to input data? The Graffiti is easy peasy to use, you will learn it far quicker than you will touch typing, plus there is a keyboard (albeit an onscreen one, although you can purchase an add-on hardware keyboard?but you won?t, cos you will get the hang of it in no time) Plus, when you really have to jot that number down real quick, a tap of a button will put you into: Note Pad mode, where you can use the stylus (pen) to write on the screen. Ta-da! ADVANTAGES GALORE!! Date Book You put in your appointments, any deadlines (loads of different ways to view the calendar too) Address Book Brilliant endless possibilities, as not only can you store the usual, there is a note feature so you can write notes in abundance on each person, i.e. a dossier about their likes and dislikes, (MI5 ? not M105) LOL!! To Do List Just simple but effective ? one thing about this though, is you can only set it to alarm via MS Outlook (i.e if you set up the To Do item in Outlook, and then synchronise it with the Palm, it will alarm at the time you specified, but you cannot do it vice versa) Hopeful ly they have fixed that little bug in the later versions Memo This is the yellow stickies in Outlook ? my favourite application cos you can write a short novel on a sticky and then synchronise it to your Palm?of course there is a limit to the amount of characters, but you get sooooo many?. Calculator Standard Batteries It uses AAA batteries and since Chrismas I have replaced mine three times. Not bad, plus you get plenty of warning and once you have synchronised, you will not lose your data!! This is just the beginning. The best part about the Palm is the synchronising. Use your Outlook, or the software that comes with it?though you can use both in tandem, as the data you write directly onto the screen in Note Pad can only be synchronised to the software that is provided. However, I run a small business, plus work two days a week, plus am a full-time mother, when I wake up in the morning I go to my computer and see what kinda day I got ahead of me. If I haven?t already synchronised, I do so, then pop my Palm into my bag and I?m good to go. When I am out and people wanna make an appt, I don?t have to ?get back? to them. Also, being a speedy typist, I find it a doddle to store as much info in Outlook then sync ? I do minimal data entry into the Palm itself. In fact I find I use the Note Pad the most?it?s brilliant, actually so does my two year old, she doodles away on it. There are so many other wonderful things about the Palm?the memory is endless and if you wish the Palm did something that it does not, just check out www.handango.com for the millions of different software you can download to your Palm. Wanna keep track of your calories, wanna have a map of Paris on your Palm, for your impending trip, wanna play word games, blow ?em up games, Tetris?.(it comes with a few free games) Wanna have predictive text, wanna have a dictionary on there. Wanna customise the way the data is displayed , want a scientific calculator, want a currency converter, want to budget your finances?Trust me you can get any software and the good thing is you can download it free and trial it for a good while before you decide you want to buy it. I found myself downloading tons and tons of stuff (good memory) only to find that I did not use most of it?.so good job I hadn?t paid for it already!! The one thing I didn?t like about the Palm was the security. It will only lock the device if you tell it to as you are turning it off. If it auto shuts down it will not be locked so anyone finding your Palm will have access to your data. However, I found a brilliant software that means the device is locked whenever it turns off, and anyone finding it will not be able to get in. Now I am purchasing a GPRS mobile phone, so cannot wait to read my emails on the Palm and send SMS via my Palm. There is soooo much more to tell you, but I don?t wanna go on. All I can say is, buy it?.except, you can get the next model up, the Palm m125, for the same price I paid for my beauty, and with the m125 you can also edit word and excel files, view videos and photos. Which ever version you get, you will love it. Buy it, buy it, buy it Disadvantages It?s not colour (colour seems all the rage now) has a brilliant backlight, which you set up to come on at a stroke of you stylus?so if you want colour you will have to spend a couple of hundred pounds more?is it worth it? Only if you got that kinda money, otherwise, love the monochrome, and buy this baby!

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I'd wanted a handheld for a long time - I was a disorganised gadget junkie, and I thought that a PDA would solve my diary-keeping problem whilst satisfying my thirst for technology. The Palm m105 was cheap, that was the thing that made it stand out on the shelf in the the shop. So I had a play, found I liked it, and bought one. Having got it home, I played some more and found I loved it. Being Palm OS, there is a huge amount of free software available to be downloaded from the net, and the OS is etremely easy and logical to use. The software that comes built in is enough for most functions that you would use it for, and software is available for just about anything you could possibly think of doing, and probably some things you can't. Moans; well, the lack of built in rechargeable batteries is annoying. It's also a bit chunky and can be quite irritating to carry in a trouser pocket. Other than that, it's great. Oh, and don't let your mates play with it. Whilst Palm replaced the screen free of charge, it was still annoying to be without it for a week.

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My dad got the palm 105 for my mum, being the busy person she is, but mum is a serious technophobe. So she asked me to teach her. I had a single evening to figure out how to use it, and I instantly fell in love with it. It really is great. Small, and sleek, and it fits very comfortably in the palm of your hand- no problem. It's great to use, and with a bit of practise, the "graffiti" system of writing is very easy. There are hundreds of bits freeware available from the net, that you can put on to the palm, and you can syncronise the data with the serial connection provided. It's fast, and efficiant, and it does the job wonderfully. Mum was the most organised person about town, for a little while, but then a problem arose. The batteries have very limited life (it takes AAA), and ours ran out within a month. Unfortuanalty, were using the ones that came with the palm, which weren't rechargable. We replaced the batteries with rechargeable ones, and then resynched all our data back on, so our day was saved, but you have to remember that though this is great, you should always synch often (at least once a day for a medium user), and preferablyhave a set of spare rechargable batteries within reach. Then you too can become so well organised and efficient, life will become a doddle.